Posts tagged #teaching strategies

Where to Start…

I usually begin the year like all of us; reviewing and teaching the basics. I focus a lot on sentence structure, elaboration, using appropriate grammar, mechanics, and punctuation for sure, as well as the use of vocabulary such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and the rich vocabulary found in the text. Some of these activity sheets and hands-on activities are available for independent morning work and are accessible for me to grab at any time throughout the day. The following activities are only some options to consider. Just remember there are several ways to include writing and written responses on a daily basis. The English/Language Arts for the Common Core requires writing, so whether you are teaching specific ELA strategies in reading or mini writing lessons; whether you are teaching math, science, or even social studies, your students are always writing, so don’t fret. Your students are and will be writing. Once you are comfortable with this realization, your students will be too. So let’s begin J Check for Visual Reading and Writing Activities for the Common Core in my store. All can be found at www.visualccl.com

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Kim Waltmire and tagged start teaching common core visual literacy visual learning visual reading creative writing art Language arts teaching ELA lessons lesson plans teaching strategies writing activities English Language Arts.

Retell Bookmarks

My students use retell bookmarks all year long.   They are encouraged to memorize the order of questions on their bookmark so they can write their own retell/recount . My children love to reach this goal without using their bookmarks.

My above average learners have a retell notebook to respond with during guided reading. This allows them to write their own elaborative paragraphs. They are also encouraged to respond orally. This practice has been wonderful for public speaking and hearing how a story sounds as a retell.

My benchmark students complete a retell worksheet and store in their reading binder. They can read their work to a partner too.

My below average kids may answer the questions orally and try to respond with a shorter written application. Check for Visual Reading and Writing Activities for the Common Core in my store   LAMINATE BOOKMARKS… USE IN CLASS AND AT HOME!

All can be found at www.visualccl.com

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Kim Waltmire and tagged guided reading bookmarks benchmark retelling sequential order retell notebooks recounting stories elaborative writing story elements common core writing retell worksheets writing creative writing reading literacy language arts English Language Arts elementary teaching strategies paragraph writing writing sentences complete sentences sentence elaboration story order questions asking questions.

Using Cards as Writing Visuals

                                                  It’s time to write about the visuals on cards. It’s time to describe the action seen and use your imagination to create a narrative story, poem, expository paragraph and more.  Brainstorming is a wonderful way to generate new and descriptive vocabulary. Leave on a chart for inexperienced writers to use. Try the same with verbs as well.    

Remember to allow the opportunity for your learners to write with an explanation in mind.  Let them see the picture before they write. Train them early to ‘visualize’ and see the details or understand the reasons why they explaining specific directions.

 

This lesson can focus on various skills. When you are introducing the purpose of writing to explain, allow the children to draw on previous knowledge, as well as be inspired by the pictures. Try this activity every week and create a journal or a ‘how to’ booklet to collect this writing genre. This activity can give you an on-going progress assessment as well.

 

Additionally, you can use this activity every week for practice along with reinforcing writing in sequence. A fun way to change-up this lesson would be to have a copy of their writing and cut directions into strips. Use the visual as an inspiration to help a partner place the directions in sequential order. This can be a fun workshop activity. Laminate the pieces and place in an envelope for storage.

 

Additionally, allow the children to highlight adjectives and verbs in different colors, identifying its proper use. Have them write synonyms and antonyms to increase their vocabulary, or even creatively use their explanations in poetic form. Perhaps they can take each sentence and elaborate them for practice.  You can also use this activity to enhance existing story topics. For instance, you may be reading about space, so allow the children to write about ‘how’ to be an astronaut. Perhaps they can create a sculpture of a space ship, use photographs, pictures or coloring pages of their topic. If you have stickers, try them to save time. Just illustrate the background. 

                                                                                       

Remember, if time is a challenge, keep pictures or cards of animals, people, or places available, with or without a background for your students to use rather than spending time illustrating. If you have time to illustrate, try stencils to trace and add details as needed… ‘seeing is believing’.

 

Lastly, glue your work to colored paper and display illustrations or sculptures creatively. Share aloud with classmates. Collect the writing, create a bulletin board or put examples into booklets, and keep in a ‘how to’ basket to be shared by others in your classroom library.

Check for Visual Reading and Writing Activities for the Common Core and The Art of Visual Writing Book in my store for this lesson and more. All can be found at www.visualccl.com

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Kim Waltmire and tagged cards writing writing creative writing writing activities writing process writing sentences pre-writing visual writing detailed writing creative writing paragraph writing elaborative writing informative writing common core writing descriptive writing visual arts visual representation visual learning verbs visualizing Visual reading Visual learning visual literacy activities details adjectives reading narrative writing English Language Arts Language arts stem supportive thoughts story order sentence elaboration scenery creative common core critical thinking character development student learning small moments story elements science sequential order descriptions ELL ELA elaboration expressing elaborated sentences text teaching strategies topical writing authors purpose riddles retelling retelling stories recounting stories reading literacy art animals asking questions main characters teaching grammar questions sequence of events burning questions highlighting questions plot poetry presentation primary grades Special Education complete sentences display photographs Visual literacy visual reading creating conversations collaboration Common Core pictures animalspeople places illustrations.

Writing Posters

I always start the year with sentence starters, phrases and vocabulary for kids to be inspired. I want my students to be able to refer to various writing posters to prompt their choice of vocabulary when writing all genres. Therefore, I arranged my writing posters to be cut and glued to colored paper so you can hang and refer your students to the “color” and poster title easier.

I keep the color-coded Transitional, Sentence Starter, Sound Shots, Words for “Said”, and Extended Ending posters up all year long and the kids love it.

 I will add other posters as needed or refer my experienced writers to the Narrative and Descriptive Bookmarks for a smaller/ hands-on copy. You need to try it. I promise you it will work.

                                   All can be found at www.visualccl.com   ( Writing Posters

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Kim Waltmire and tagged descriptive writing detailed writing descriptions display transitional phrases sentence starters sentence elaboration sequential order sequence of events scenery science stem stories speaking see senses Sound shote sound shots words for said vocabulary visualizing visual learning visuals Visual learning Visual reading visual arts visual literacy visual representation verbs visual writing Visual literacy activities adjectives asking questions reading literacy writing writing sentences writing process writing activities Writing activities writing strategies writing creative writing word lists pre-writing story writing bookmarks posters photographs interactive illustrations informative writing informational writing silhouettes discussion listing questions highlighting questions visual reading discussion starters topical writing teaching strategies primary grades poetry expository writing supportive thoughts narrative writing factual writing creative writing creative writing for CCSS paragraph writing comparison writing common core writing rading elaborative writing special educaion writing and speaking command of conventions for spelling and writing colorful posters master artists writing prompts complete sentences second grade authors purpose elaborated sentences themes transitional lesson plans learning lessons landscapes lesson activities learning styles Language arts lesson plan projects ELL ELA climax places plot elementary elaboration classroom strategies.

Picturesque Writing

I had the best time with this lesson. In the beginning of the year we are getting our students used to asking and answering questions (who, what, where, when, why and how) First, my students place a small open paper frame on a large picture. Then they choose question cards from the pile and ask a question about what is in the frame only. This helps them focus on details more and practice asking and responding to questions with partners or in a small collaborative group. The dialogue is fantastic to listen to and watch. Then I will ask the kids to change their perspective and place the open frame on another part of the frame and discuss their questions. After that, they remove the frame and discuss about the entire picture using their question cards. The more experienced speakers and writers will often times start using descriptive language and those conversations immediately go to a higher level. It is naturally differentiated and all learning styles have an opportunity to share and learn. Lastly, it is time to provide the children a time to answer the questions about their photograph. Note that the picture can be based on a personal experience (colored, photograph, illustration) or a photograph of a place they have never been. My suggestion is to start with a photo of a personal place when it is time to write. This helps your students take ownership, writing from experience. Nonetheless, there are so many ways to use a lesson like this. Just remember to allow the kids to share their writing aloud (present in from of the class or in front of a small group or partner. Be creative and allow the kids to have fun. Think out of the box and change it up. For more ideas, check out www.visualccl.com for many other units to implement in your classroom. Just visit my store!  My Art of Visual Writing book will be a wonderful start for ideas like this to implement. **** I found several large photographs at a wallpaper store; perfect to use at any time. As for the frames, they are easy to make, laminate and keep for other lessons too. Enjoy!

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Kim Waltmire and tagged picturesque writing visual arts visual literacy descriptive writing descriptive language perspective questioning lessons teaching strategies students illustrations art artwork artists answering questions.